Why Women Live Longer than Men - Term Paper Example

Introduction In most countries worldwide, females live longer than males. In UK, men have a life expectancy of 79 years while women have an expectancy of 82years (Yoshimoto & Takeshi 2011, p. 2065). However, the gap is more pronounced in other countries like Japan. Averagely, a woman lives at least five years longer than a man. Research has shown a ratio of 6:4 for women to men respectively at the age of 85 years old and a ratio of more than 2:1 at 100years of age. Various theories explain the differences in longevity, but there is evidence of the theory on men being genetically more disposable than women. This has been attributed to various behavioral and biological reasons. Research indicates a decrease in mortality rates among women in 20th century. The life expectancy gap between various races and people has narrowed significantly, with the gender gap becoming wider. This affects sex ratio, and social and demographic factors like marriage and valuation of pension plans (Reijo & Chen 2013, p. 118). Men are believed to die younger due to stressful lives than women. If this was true, the gap could be decreasing significantly as more women assume jobs that were previously believed to be for men. Also, women get stressed as they work outside home on top of the stresses at home. However, despite women living longer than men, they are less healthy than men at old age. Biologically, women are considered to be more fit than males due to the hormonal and genetic differences (Eskes & Clemens 2007, p. 126). Biological hypothesis supporting the topic Theoretically, aging results from the gradual accumulation of the tiny faults and damages to cellular components like DNA and protein. Women are believed to have the biological advantage as due to their involvement in reproduction. Women are involved in reproduction for longer than males. Also, it is argued that iron may cause early deaths. The only way to lead out the iron is through blood, which is normally an advantage in females as a result of menstrual cycles. High accumulations of iron raise the toxic level as iron is an oxidizing element that has potential of increasing the heart diseases and risks of cancer (Ginter & Simko 2013, p. 45). Genetic make-up; X factor Women have 2 X-chromosomes and men have X and Y chromosomes. The second X chromosome in women acts as a backup after the other gene becomes damaged. Recent hypotheses indicate that Y gene is normally toxic and acts as a source for other gene products accelerating aging. Specifically, women have microRNA and X chromosome in their ribonucleic acid. Most microRNA is found in X chromosome, and this indicates that the genetic deck is stacked in favor of the women. The extra X chromosome acts as a buffer for the silenced or defective X chromosome. The genetic silencing exposes males to immunological disorders hence little or no genes for compensating the genetic formation (Howk & Mary 2010, p. 3). Differences Immune System Researchers concluded that the major reasons why women live for longer than men could be because their immune system remains stronger for longer. This results from differences in levels of key components of the white blood cells. Closer examination reveals differences in T cells and B cells. T-cells protect the body against infections while B cells secrete the antibodies. The rate of decline of the T-cells and B-cells is faster in male than in female. Men have high age-related decline within the two cytokines. The two cytokines prevent inflammation that damages the surrounding tissue as a person is ageing. The CD4 T-cells attacks invaders and other natural killers, and the cells increase in the number as the person ages. Women have a higher rate of increase of the CD4 cells than males. According to researchers, the immunological parameters of an individual reflect the true biological age. The changes in those parameters differ for both men and women (Chambers 2005, p. 89). Hormones and genetic factors Women all over the world in the developing countries outlive men. For instance, in America alone men life expectancy is 72 years which are lower than that of women by 7 years. In addition, there has been a continuous gender gap in the 20th century as more females have been exceeding males. The death rates for men have been high despite the number of newly born males being greater than that of the females. Furthermore, the genetic makeup of the male child gives him a low affinity to survive since they are faced with problem of still births, spontaneous abortion, and miscarriages which are not experienced by the female child. In addition at the age group of 25, the mortality rate of women is lower than that of young men (Corti 2002, p. 1535). From a biological perspective and observation of other female species, the answer to the reason why women outlive men lies in biology. Scientists and great scholars believe that aging faster results from DNA strand damage or protein molecule. How this DNA generates determines how long we live and it is dependent on regulation of the balance existing between how fast the damage strikes and how well the damage is solved in human cells. The mechanism of the body to repair and maintain our cells in most case is effective and that is the reason why human beings live longer than most animals. Nevertheless, there are setbacks in these mechanisms making them unreliable since some damages are unrepaired which persists thus making us to age. Women cells are more effective than that of women giving them a longer lifespan than men (Seely 1990p. 113). Toxic Testosterone Men at their early age experience testosterone storm. This is a situation where their bodies produce large amounts of hormones. These hormones can be changing very drastically thus inducing dangerous behavior in men. This is the age group where youngest men engage in drinking alcohol, smoking, and also some are not even cautious when travelling. The mortality rate in male is higher compared to that of the female. At this time, young men are three times prone to deaths compared to young women. From previous research, it has been noted that the causes of deaths are caused by recklessness and aggressiveness inherent in young men at puberty. For instance, homicide, suicide, drowning, and cancer are the major causes which are more pronounced in males than females. Men are more likely to die in motor vehicle accidents and also taking their own lives (Girrbach 2013, p. 78). Menopause Studies have shown that menopause is a determinant to lifespan for women. The life span of a woman is dependent on balancing two inherent forces; need to live healthy and rear children and evolutional push to pass on genes. Menopause protects women from giving birth to children at older age and thus gives them time to look and rear them. It is clear that the long lifespan in women is the determinant of a longer natural longevity for men and women (Viña & Consuelo 2010, p. 269). Delay in cardiovascular disease Women experience a prolonged delay in cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart attack. Generally, women develop these complications in their early 70s or 80s which are higher than that of men who experience the same complications at their early 50s and 60s. In many years, medical practitioners were drawing their hypothesis from estrogen levels as the main cause of deaths but recent studies have indicated that this might not be the reason since more estrogen to women who are post menopause is risky. One major reason why women have a delay in cardiovascular diseases is that they are iron deficient compared to men. Most young women undergo the menstrual cycle where most of their iron is lost during that period (Xhyheri & Raffaele 2010, p. 227). Iron is an important entity in cells reaction to produce damaging radical that glooms in the membrane of the DNA and cells which further may lead to aging cells. Most men love red meat which is a source of iron; eating vegetables is healthy. From previous studies, people who eat lots of red meat have a higher affinity to heart attack than those who do not. Therefore, studies indicate that men take high level of iron and that's why they are more vulnerable to heart diseases than men. The end result is that the iron is detrimental to the health standards of men thus, lowering their lifespan (Austad 2006, p. 79). Healthy Habits Women are perceived to live longer because they invest in healthier habits as compared to men. For instance, from the research, it is clear that most men engage in alcohol, smoking cigarettes, taking drugs such as marijuana, bhang and heroin. Furthermore only few women who engage in unhealthy habits though the number of women who take unhealthy food and drink alcohol is rising significantly. Thus, the lifestyle does not answer the question why women live longer than men (Jones 2012, p. 598). Risky Behavior in Men Hogue argues that males are more prone to violence and associated risks than women. Generally the day to day activities of men involves taking risks. Most men are engineers, deep sea diver, electricians and other types of jobs involving a lot of risks. From previous studies, the major cause of death for women was solely maternal mortality which has been solved with the ongoing technological advancement and better maternal health care. Conversely, for men the major cause of death was accidents and violence. In contrast, the cause has not been tamed even with technological advancement. In the same regard, women have a greater genetic protection against obesity than men and thus premature deaths in women are very low as compared to men. Throughout history, women have been getting historical advantage in various instances. During wars and crime period, many men were involved in protecting the society against external attacks. For instance, many defense forces are men since women are regarded as emotional and weak vessels (Cai 2008, p. 657). During the blink of 20th century, many men were killed in World War 1 and World War 2. In contrast, women were only involved in domestic chores such as cooking, washing utensils and cloths. The high risk posed by men put them at a high level of the death rate than women. Furthermore, when we look at our society, men are the only species that risk their lives since there is status quo that comes along by the fact that someone is a man and thus want to prove to the females that he is still intact and has a prerequisite capacity to remain on top (Wang 2008, p. 937). Friendship Women throughout history have bonded together for mutual support and protection. When we look at their lives, we can draw a hypothesis that most women are nurses. They usually nurse each other even at tender age and during the time of illnesses. Furthermore, they help each other to tend their young ones, boosting secrets, cry and laugh in unison which further keeps him or her well. The meaningful activities they are involved in are important in the way they become the social being. Shelley Taylor, UCLA neuroscientist, argues that women are more social in coping up with stress than men. Men for instance are prone to overreact during the time of stress and in most cases they are aggressive and withdraw more often. Withdrawal and aggression are quite physiological and friendliness gives comfort thus mitigating the negative effects of stress. This difference alone in the way people cope up with stress is a determinant for longevity. Men usually disagree, but in contrast, women are good at keeping secrets. For instance, when there is a breakup in the relationship, women have other sources of seeking intimacy, but men tend to be withdrawn. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, Ohio State University, argues that when a man loses a female partner, he is in trouble. From a research perspective, men are more likely to die from Broken Heart Syndrome and are likely to die as compared to women (Bustros 2001, p. 57). Men who are married are prone to live longer than unmarried and bachelors which are a contrast to women who are slightly better off than their unmarried counterparts. Men may have strong networks but may fail to rely on them. Many women argue that you can give your confidence to a woman but not a man. In many instances, men are unable to put themselves in emotional symmetry of their wives and when they do, they worsen the situation since they do not know when to stop advising. References List Austad, S. (2006). Why Women Live Longer than Men: Sex Differences in Longevity. Gender Medicine 3(2), pp. 79-92. Bustros, A. (2001). Testosterone "Storm" during Pregnancy. The Endocrinologist 11(1), pp. 57-60. Cai, H. (2008). Association of Genetic Polymorphisms in CYP19A1 and Blood Levels of Sex Hormones among Postmenopausal Chinese Women. Pharmacogenetics and Genomics 18(8), pp. 657-64. Chambers, P. (2005). Older Widows and the Lifecourse: Multiple Narratives of Hidden Lives. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate. Corti, M. (2002). The Effect of Cardiovascular and Osteoarticular Diseases on Disability in Older Italian Men and Women: Rationale, Design, and Sample Characteristics of the Progetto Veneto Anziani (PRO.V.A.) Study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 50(9), pp. 1535-540. Eskes, T., & Clemens, H. (2007). Why Do Women Live Longer than Men? European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 133 (2), pp. 126-33. Ginter, E., & Simko, V. (2013). Women Live Longer than Men. Bratislava Medical Journal 114(02), pp. 45-49. Girrbach, F. (2013). Long-term Outcome after Mechanical Composite Root Replacement – Do Men Live Longer than Women? The Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon 61.(S 01). Howk, C., & Mary, B. (2010). Immune Function and Health Outcomes in Women with Depression. BioPsychoSocial Medicine 4(1), pp. 3. Jones, B. (2012). Genomics: Mitochondrial Mutations May Explain Why Women Live Longer than Men. Nature Reviews Genetics 13(9), pp. 598. Reijo, P., & Chen, B. (2013). Reprogramming of Fibroblasts From Older Women With Pelvic Floor Disorders Alters Cellular Behavior Associated With Donor Age. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2(2), pp. 118-28. Seely, S. (1990). The Gender Gap: Why Do Women Live Longer than Men? International Journal of Cardiology 29(2), pp. 113-19. Viña, J., & Consuelo, B. (2010). Women Live Longer than Men: Understanding Molecular Mechanisms Offers Opportunities to Intervene by Using Estrogenic Compounds. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling 13(3), pp. 269-78. Wang, B. (2008). Memory T Cells Specific for Novel Human Papillomavirus Type 16 (HPV16) E6 Epitopes in Women Whose HPV16 Infection Has Become Undetectable. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology 15(6), pp. 937. Xhyheri, B., & Raffaele, B. (2010). Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart Disease: Are Women Different From Men? Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases 53(3), pp. 227-36. Yoshimoto, N., & Takeshi, N. (2011). Genetic and Environmental Predictors, Endogenous Hormones and Growth Factors, and Risk of Estrogen Receptor-positive Breast Cancer in Japanese Women. Cancer Science 102(11), pp. 2065-072. Read More